life fur real would stand up . If it persisted , he rallied the troops , and they would stand vigil over me until I regained control of my breathing and settled down . Then Kep would take his normal place under my arm . I was thankful that I had regained my ability to breathe and that I had Kep to wake me up and let me know I was struggling . Sometimes it was hard to even know it was happening until he woke me up .
“ We have a big life ahead of us , stronger and better than before .”
As time went on , I got stronger , but my dogs ’ attentiveness didn ’ t waiver . If there was a slipup , my dogs caught it . Beaux began sleeping across my neck again and Molly returned to her spot at the foot of the bed . Kep kept vigil in the living room for the first part of the night and then in the bedroom by the door until morning . My good little soldiers , not my nurses and doctors , were not going to give cancer an inch of space to take me out of their lives . That is when I realized I needed to be sure not to give cancer an inch to remove me , either . I started working hard to get stronger . I began forcing myself to eat . I forced myself to talk and to work . I took phone calls and made calls to the people who had been texting me all through the cancer . I started reading about the right foods to eat , and , better yet , started eating them .
I stopped missing my old life and made way for a new one : a healthier one . A life with hope and my dogs — the only things I needed . Through it all , I never stopped walking my dogs twice a day . Even if it was just for a few feet , I made myself do it . It was my way of saying thankyou to them for taking care of me , for loving me , but most of all for needing me . Their need for me was what I required to need and love myself .
The day I entered remission , June 21 , 2021 ( a new birthday of sorts ), Molly , Kep , Beaux , and I sat on the porch together and watched the sun set . “ We have a big life ahead of us , stronger and better than before ,” I told them . They looked up at me as if to tell me , “ Sure , Pops , whatever you say .”
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